Quick Cottage Cheese

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2007

Show: Good EatsEpisode: Milk Made

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (37)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(37)

Cook Time:
5 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
about 2 cups

Times:

Prep: 10 min
Inactive Prep: 35 min
Cook: 5 min
Total:: 50 min

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Ingredients

1 gallon pasteurized skim milk
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup half-and half-or heavy cream

Directions

Pour the skim milk into a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Heat to 120 degrees F. Remove from the heat and gently pour in the vinegar. Stir slowly for 1 to 2 minutes. The curd will separate from the whey. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Pour the mixture into a colander lined with a tea towel and allow to sit and drain for 5 minutes. Gather up the edges of the cloth and rinse under cold water for 3 to 5 minutes or until the curd is completely cooled, squeezing and moving the mixture the whole time. Once cooled, squeeze as dry as possible and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the salt and stir to combine, breaking up the curd into bite-size pieces as you go. If ready to serve immediately, stir in the half-and-half or heavy cream. If not, transfer to a sealable container and place in the refrigerator. Add the half and half or heavy cream just prior to serving.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Quick Cottage Cheese
CHANTAL NEW TOWN, ND 02-02-2010
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Delicious!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I gave this recipe a try this morning and it turned out perfectly. With the many reviews indicating that it hasn't been... turning out as people expect, I was sure to follow the method to the letter. After squeezing out the curd under cold water for 3 minutes I gave it a little taste and couldn't detect a trace of the vinegar. I was able to form the curd into a big ball then crumble into my preferred size into a container. Like many other reviewers I only added 1/2t of salt, but I used a finer grain sea salt and the sodium level was perfect for me. I'll be keeping the curd in a covered container and just transferring single servings to a bowl then adding the milk. I tried my first bowl with a splash of light vanilla soy milk and the flavor was divine. I'm so happy to have found this recipe so that I can now control the fat content, saltiness, and curd size of my cottage cheese. Oh, and I did get a full 2 cup yield out of this. =)Read more
recipe Quick Cottage Cheese
Longoria Burlington, WI 01-28-2010
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Made Ricotta by Accident
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I followed the recipe exactly except I heated to more like 130 by accident. I didn't stir it for a full 2 min, probably not... quite one. I don't know if that had anything to do with it but my curds were very small, more like ricotta. The cream was completely absorbed and the finish product was like thick salty ricotta. Any thoughts as to why? It still tasted good but my kids wouldn't eat it because it looked "funny". Read more
recipe Quick Cottage Cheese
Nathan Phoenix, AZ 01-15-2010
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Yan't make ricotta with remaining whey
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

A previous reviewer stated that they tried to make ricotta from the whey. Your inability to do this has nothing to do with... the altitude but more importantly the method in which you made the "Curds and Whey." In this method you can?t make ricotta because you've already precipitated all the albumin protein the milk has using acid (white vinegar) and heat and therefore there is no remaining whey to make whey Ricotta. If you had the whey from a traditional form of cheese making there would be enough remaining albumin to yield ricotta cheese. This whey however, is still full of protein and can be used for other things. It is especially good for slow rising breads like A.B.?s pizza dough recipe. It added a lot of flavor to the resulting crust. Here is the recipe. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pizza-pizzas-recipe4/index.html Read more
recipe Quick Cottage Cheese
Michael Jupiter, FL 10-31-2009
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It's not just cottage cheese...
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I recently learned to make paneer for Indian recipes and this is the same, except for lemon juice instead of vinegar. I used... whole milk instead of skim, and once it is drained and rinsed, you can press it under a heavy pan and then cut it into cubes after it cools. Once cubed, it can be fried and will brown without melting. It can be used as the protein in vegetarian dishes or to replace meat in other dishes. It is similar to tofu but I think it has a more pleasant texture and taste. It also freezes well. It looks as if the only difference is breaking up the curd and mixing with half-and-half to soften it, rather than pressing and draining it to make it more solid. The real key is to rinse it very well to get all of the acid out.Read more
recipe Quick Cottage Cheese
Gizandra Davie, FL 10-10-2009
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Heavenly
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

After reading all the comments that were very helpful, I used lowfat milk, less salt, and spent a lot of time rinsing the... curds. I then added heavy cream to the mix and the result was heavenly. The best cottage cheese I have ever eaten and I have eaten a lot of cottage cheese. I can't wait to share it with my friends. Thanks Alton!Read more
recipe Quick Cottage Cheese
carol parker, CO 09-18-2009
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best the moment it's finish
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

I've made this twice. The first time I added the entire 1 1/2tsp of kosher salt and it was practically inedible. I read the... reviews after the fact and made it again yesterday. Much better when I only used 1/2tsp of kosher salt. I added the cream right away and the product was wonderful. It yielded just over 2C. It was completely coagulated by this morning, however. Ugh. Doubt seriously if I'll ever make it again. I also attempted to reheat the whey to produce ricotta as suggested and I got nothing but liquid. Any suggestions? I live at 6400ft. Maybe there's an issue with altitude and adjusting the recipe???Read more